


Everything A (Big Bad) Wolf Could Want

by redandwhiteroses



Category: Fairy Tales & Related Fandoms, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Big Bad Wolf!Bucky Barnes, Bucky is human for any sex scenes, Cheating, Dark fic, Dubious Consent, Everyone is of age even in the flashbacks, Extremely Dubious Consent, F/M, Fairy Tale Elements, Little Red Riding Hood!Reader, Multi, No Underage Sex, Prince Charming!Steve Rogers, Reader Insert, Sexualized fairy tales, dark!bucky barnes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:34:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23700904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redandwhiteroses/pseuds/redandwhiteroses
Summary: Fairy tales are real and living among humans. Your boyfriend, Steve Rogers AKA Prince Charming, found his long-lost friend from the old days. The problem is that you know his old friend too, and he is the last person you want to see.Dark fic, potentially a DD:DNE later on.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers/Reader, Steve Rogers/Reader
Comments: 7
Kudos: 81





	1. Little Red

**Author's Note:**

> This was one of those ideas that I kept on thinking about until I wrote it lmao
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: Dub-con, discussions of dub-con, hinted grooming, referenced slut-shaming, self-esteem issues, and implied sex. Also, sexualized fairy tales (as if a lot of them weren’t already). All characters are at the age of consent during this, including during the flashbacks. These warnings are there for a reason. I understand these topics and themes can be iffy for people, which is why there’s a warning.

The foyer to the compound was silent. Given the hour, it doesn’t surprise you. You walk across the room towards the elevators, a smile on your face. You know Steve preferred it when you came by earlier in the day, saying it felt like the two of you were sneaking around when you came by late. However, he wanted to see you so desperately after this last mission that he didn’t mind the late hour. You pad as silently as you can over to the elevators.  
“Krasnyy.” A smooth, feminine voice calls to you when you’re halfway across the foyer. You nearly jump. You have to actively resist the urge to put a hand over your heart. Natasha is sitting on one of the couches clustered to the side.  
“You know I hate it when you call me that.” You respond. Your posture relaxes slowly. She was a friend, after all, and that meant she wouldn’t hurt you. The former spy gets up and saunters towards you. She gives you a smile in response.  
“No one is around to hear it.” You start to walk once she reaches you, and the two of you step in stride. “I don’t understand your hatred of it. Your past could be much worse.”  
You let out a snort. “The minute people know is the minute I become nothing more than an objectified sexy teenager.” Your companion lets out a small noise of understanding. The elevator dings, and the two of you enter the car. The doors slide silently closed.  
“I suppose I understand that.” You give her an expectant look. You know her well enough to know that this conversation isn’t about pleasantries and small talk. She merely gives you a coy look in return.  
“Fine. Be that way.” You stare at the steel doors.  
“Rogers found his friend.” Her tone is casual, too casual. You tilt your head as you look at her.  
“Is he one of us?” You keep your tone neutral. She nods in response. Her eyes are trained on the elevator doors. “How did they know each other?”  
“Ask Steve.” The glimmer in her eyes lets you know that she’s keeping something secret. You huff at that, crossing your arms over your chest.  
“I’d like to know what I’m about to get myself into.” You don’t need to tell her why you’re so wary. She had done some digging when she met you initially. When she confronted you about your secret, you broke down and told her your side of the story. It had been nice to confide in someone. You made swear secrecy, and she had kept her mouth shut.  
Being too trusting is what made you famous. Needless to say, you learned your lesson, and you weren’t exactly keen on surprises. You did trust Nat to not lead you astray, though. You weren’t sure what it was exactly, but once you told her everything, she had become protective of you. It felt patronizing at first, as if you couldn’t handle your own. After several conversations, she had eased up some, but she still clearly felt it was her duty to protect you. She had backed off even more when you and Steve had become involved. Even then, you suspect she still checked in with him regularly. Not that he would ever hurt you; Steve was literally Prince Charming.  
“He’s nothing like Steve.” Nat’s voice cuts through your thoughts like a knife. Her tone is serious. She’s looking at you so intently that you want to take several reflexive steps back. “Steve wants his friend to tell people himself who he is so there’s less judgement. I’ve given you all of the warning I can. I need you to understand that. I’m not leaving you alone with this.”  
“Nat, you’re scaring me. What is it?” If she’s warning you, it can’t be something good. She shakes her head.  
“I can’t tell you.” She seems genuinely sad that she can’t. The elevator dings, letting you know that you’ve reached Steve’s floor. The doors slide open. You exit the elevator, casting her an imploring look as you do so. She shakes her head. The doors close. The elevator whirrs as it takes her to her destination.  
A feeling of dread is building in your stomach, so you stand by the elevator doors for a few minutes. Steve’s floor was a little unusual. The entire area was massive, high ceilings and lots of space. Technically, it was three floors with two of the floors knocked out to give the aerial space. No one but him lived on that floor. It was no secret that he was saving the other apartment for his friend. You had jokingly asked if he liked the high ceilings because it reminded him of his castles back home. He’d grown somber before telling you that no, this was for his friend.  
You always figured his friend must be half-giant. That was the only thing that could explain the sheer amount of space he requested.  
You’re just about ready to go to Steve’s door and knock, but he opens it before you can move. His blond hair is wild, and he’s got several scratch marks on his face and arms. His face lights up when he sees you. You know your expression mirrors his. You make your way over him and him over to you. When he reaches you, he pulls you close. You return the embrace, trying to pull him even closer to you than was possible. His strong arms anchored you, making you forget your worries.  
“Hey.” Steve says when the two of you pull apart. He’s got that lopsided, boyish smile on his face, and the urge to kiss him is strong. So you do. He makes a pleased noise, one of his hands going to your hair.  
“Hey yourself.” You reply when you pull away. “How was the mission?”  
“It turned out alright. I expected things to be a lot worse.” The hand in your hair moves to play with the ends of your hair. “Do you want to come in?”  
“Sure.” You wrap your arms around his neck. He likes to literally sweep you off of your feet. You’ve lost count of how many times he’s carried you into his apartment just because he could. Steve doesn’t disappoint. One hand slips under your legs, and you’re hoisted into the air. He’s holding you bridal style as he walks to the door.  
“I have someone I want you to meet.” Steve looks down at you. It always takes your breath away when he does that. His expression is always full of pure love and adoration. This time, though, something is different. He seems a little... scared? Cautious? You aren’t sure.  
“Really?” You look at him. No need to tell him that you’d been tipped off to his friend being here. “Don’t tell me it’s another girl.” He lets out a snort at that.  
“No, nothing like that. He’s an old friend. From way back when.” The emphasis on the last part isn’t lost on you. You raise an eyebrow.  
“Oh? Who is it?”  
“You’ll find out.” The two of you are almost to the door. Steve pauses for a second. He clearly wants to tell you something, but it’s clear that he’s struggling with how to tell you. “I- I want him to tell you. But when you find out who he is, I need you to be. Willing. Willing to give him a second chance.”  
Your brow creases, and you bring one hand up to touch his cheek gently. “Steve...”  
“Things were bad for him then, but he’s different. Promise me you’ll give him a chance.” His voice is low, almost a whisper. You nod.  
“Of course. If you trust him, I trust him.” The former Prince lets out a noise, one that’s hard to figure out.  
“I’ll hold you to that.” He nudges the door open with his foot before stepping into his apartment. Steve lets you down gently, taking the time to help you fix any wrinkles in your clothes. You give him a good-natured eye roll. The man could never shake some of his old habits, especially the ones that were polite. He gives you a look in return.  
“I know! I know! You don’t want to have a bad impression!” You throw your arms up in mock anger. He laughs at you, eyes glittering.  
“Hey.” He grabs one of your wrists gently. “I love you.”  
“I love you too.” You blink, confused. His tone seemed off. He must be worried about his friend and what you’ll think of him. Steve straightens up.  
“Bucky! Can you come here? I’d have someone I’d like you to meet.” Footsteps sound from one of the hallways. You frown. Your heart beat picks up ever so slightly. Those footsteps... Why did they sound familiar? You can smell firewood and baked goods as the footsteps come closer and closer. Something else underlies those smells. Part of it is the smell of the woods from back home, but the other part...  
Steve’s friend rounds the corner. Your eyes go wide. Not imperceptibly wide, but full-blown wide. Bucky looks different now, less wild and scraggly, but you could recognize him anywhere. The long dark hair and blue eyes have been burned into your memory. Your chest heaves, and you want to move but can’t. Bucky gives you a lazy smile.  
“Hey, Little Red.” His voice sounds exactly the same as it did then, just as deep and deceivingly gentle. “Long time no see.”  
You want to play it cool, but you know you can’t. Steve looks between the two of you. Confusion is etched on his face, and you can see multiple questions fighting to come out of his mouth. Your eyes flit between Bucky, Steve, and the door.  
“Stevie.” Bucky’s voice draws your attention back to him. “Get the door. Little Red is about two seconds from running.”  
Steve looks at you, giving you his undivided attention. Multiple emotions flit across his face. You want to smile, to tell him it’s alright, but you can’t. Not when every ounce of your being is telling you to run.  
“He called you Little Red.” Steve eventually says, his voice laced with confusion and curiosity. “Why? Did he kno-”  
He stops mid-sentence as you bolt for the door. It takes him a minute, but he starts to run after you. Unfortunately, Bucky moved as well. You had been too wrapped up in Steve’s reaction to see Bucky moving around to the side, getting closer to the door. He shuts it with a loud ‘thump,’ placing a forearm over it to make sure that you can’t open it. You screech to a halt. Your mind goes over the possible exits, but before you can even think about which one is the best one, Steve has caught up to you. He takes a gentle hold of your arm, and you wrench it out of his grasp out of habit. His expression falls.  
“Steve, I can’t. I’m sorry, but I can’t.” You try to move around him, but another arm grabs you. Bucky’s grip is less gentle than Steve’s. You swing around, one hand forming into a fist, but he grabs your wrist before you can connect the blow.  
“Let fucking go of me.” You hiss, eyes filled with rage. “I thought I told you to never fucking touch me again, or I swear to all that is high and might I wi-”  
Steve says your name. It’s stern enough to get your attention. Slowly, you look at him. The blond has his arms crossed over his chest. A disapproving look is on his face.  
“You told me that you’d give him a chance.” He sounds so disappointed in you, but you don’t care. Bucky snickers. You go to kick him, but he’s faster than you. He drops your wrist and grabs your leg as you swing it, using the momentum to push you towards Steve. Steve grabs a hold of you, wrapping an arm around your midriff. His hold is gentle, more gentler than you expected. You want to turn around and push him away, but instead, you find yourself curling up into him. Confusion radiates off of Steve in waves, but he pulls you closer. You can feel him giving Bucky a look over your shoulder.  
“She didn’t tell you, did she?” The wolf, the big bad wolf, crosses his arms over his chest with an amused look. Steve shakes his head. “Prince Charming, meet Little Red Riding Hood.”  
You can feel Steve freeze for a second, and you’re expecting him to pull away. You’re ready to start pleading your case with him, ready to explain why you didn’t tell him, but he pulls you even closer.  
“Bucky.” His voice is neutral. “Can you go into your apartment? My girl and I need to have a talk.”  
“A talk. Sure.” The former, current?, wolf opens the door and saunters out into the hall. “If you need me, you know where I am. Nice to see you again, Little Red.”  
The door snaps shut.  
“I can explain, I promise.” You start as soon as Steve lets you go. Steve raises an eyebrow.  
“Alright. Explain. Why didn’t you tell me?” Though his voice is commanding, you can sense an undercurrent of hurt.  
“I-” You cut yourself short. You want to just tell him, but you aren’t sure how. Thoughts swirl through your head, and you have to take a deep breath to calm yourself. He’s watching you. “Can we sit? Please? This is... I’m not... I want to be comfortable when I explain this.”  
He nods, although it is a little hesitant.. The two of you go over to the couch. You sit beside him. Your legs are touching his, but you’re turned so you’re looking at him directly. You think you’ve found a place to begin. You open your mouth, but the words die in your throat. Sighing, you ran a hand over your face.  
“I guess I thought you’d judge me.” You begin, hesitantly. His eyes never leave yours. “I- It’s shameful. You’re, you know, you, and I’m just some...” You frown, struggling to find the right word. You aren’t entirely sure there is a right word.  
“Why do you think I’d judge you?’ Steve’s voice brings you out of your spiraling thoughts. A small frown has made its way onto his face.  
“Because everyone else has?” You offer. It’s clear from his expression he doesn’t understand. “Okay, look. I know that if I walk out that door and tell Tony, I’m never going to hear the end of the jokes about me being a slut and sleeping around and all that. And I know that he wouldn’t be trying to hurt me with those jokes. That’s the best case scenario. What if I tell someone who’s looking for a reason to hate me, or someone who would be indifferent, and that’s what tips them over?”  
“I get that.” The frown is still on his face. “But you could have told me anytime over the last 3 months.”  
“I... I didn’t know how.” Your voice is small. “I don’t make it a habit to tell people.”  
“Does anyone else know?”  
“Just Nat, and she had to pry it out of me.”  
“That sounds like her.” He lets out a frustrated sigh and runs a hand over his face. The room is deathly silent for a few seconds. Eventually, he holds a hand out to you. You take it, hyper aware that your hand is shaking. His fingers interlace with yours. Your shoulder drop, and a wave of gratitude washes over you. Steve’s not looking at you. It’s clear he’s thinking about the whole situation. You want to break the silence, but you’re afraid of pushing your luck.  
“Did you sleep with him?” Steve breaks the silence first. You nod, although it’s hesitant. “Were you...?”  
“He didn’t rape me if that’s what you’re going to ask.” You snap. You instantly regret your tone. “Sorry. I just- I don’t like the pity that comes with that assumption. But it wasn’t... I was just a teenager, you know? A gangly teen that no one ever gave the time of day, and I think he knew that. I’m not even sure I wanted to, but it was nice to have the attention. That’s before I found out he killed my grandma. So I guess it’s more complicated than that.”  
“Jesus.” Steve runs a hand over his face again. He briefly squeezes your hand. You smile, appreciating the momentary comfort. He shifts so he can look at you better. “Do you mind if I ask what happened? You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I want to hear your side entirely before I go talk to him.”  
You take a deep breath. “I can talk about it, yeah.”  
*************************************************************  
_Normally, you love the walk to your grandmother’s house. It’s a scenic path that goes past a meadow filled with flowers and past a stream. The only downside is that it’s a long walk, and that gives you more than enough time to just be with yourself. Sometimes, that’s not a bad thing, but it’s been an awful thing as of late. Your thoughts are a whirlwind of unpleasantness, mostly stemming from the fact that nearly everyone in the village hated you. Well, that was assuming those three sisters were to be believed, and they seemed to know what they were talking about when it came to people’s opinions. You jump up on top of a log. A thought occurs to you. Maybe people hated you because you weren’t afraid of the woods. Men didn’t want women who were fine with going into the woods by themselves, did they?  
Men also apparently didn’t want women who wore red or jumped on logs or had to help their grandma every day. The more you thought about it, the more you realized that you were everything that a man didn’t want in a woman. That makes you frown. You want to dispute this fact with your brain, but all your brain does in response is come up with more examples.  
_ _“Hey.” An unfamiliar voice makes you look further up the path. A man is several yards up ahead, leaning against a tree. He’s got long, dark hair and piercing blue eyes. He looks strong, as if he could rip a tree in half with his bare hands. He smiles at you, and your heart does somersaults.  
“Hi.” You give him a shy smile. Part of your brain is weary, looking for signs of trouble.  
_ _“You’re from the village, aren’t you?” He steps away from the tree, hands tucked into his pockets. “I’m not trying to be nosey; I’m trying to remember where I’ve seen you from before.”  
“Yeah. I am. I don’t think I’ve seen you around.” You venture. He huffs a laugh.  
_“I live here. Well, my family does. I’ve been gone so long that I’m not sure I can say I live here.” An almost sorrowful look crosses his face.  
_ “Gone?” You raise an eyebrow. “Where did you go?”  
_ _“You know that war from several years ago?” You nod in response. “I got called to serve. I thought I’d spend some time in the capital before coming home. That time ended up being longer than I thought.” He’s walked onto the path proper now and is now several feet away from you. His shirt clings to him, showcasing his muscles. You try not to let your eyes linger too long.  
“What's your family name?” You ask. If he can answer that, he has to be from the village and therefore safe.  
_ _“Barnes. I’m the oldest. James.” Your eyes light up in recognition. You knew his sister. She watched you when your mother was sick with that plague two years ago.  
"It's nice to finally meet you, James." You give him your name in return. "But call me Red. Everyone else does."  
_ _"Can I call you Little Red?" James smiles, and the world seems to light up.  
"I guess." You hop down from the log and begin walking. He turns and walks beside you. "Why Little Red?"  
_ _He gazes at you for several seconds. You think you see something deeper, darker, in his expression. "I like my friends to have special nicknames."  
"I'm your friend already?" You tease. "You make friends easily."  
"Not generally. But I think I can make an exception for you.” You try to ignore the way your heart flutters at his response.  
_ _The two of you fall into a routine. You have to take your grandmother items, usually food and other necessities, at least twice a week. James meets you on the path and keeps you company while you walk to her house. He always disappears before you get to her house, though, claiming he doesn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea. You could understand that. You were at that age where your worth is life was measured by whether or not you’d slept with anyone. If people were to see you and James walking alone together, they’d assume things.  
_ _Part of you hated the idea that people would be bold enough to think such things about you. Another part of you wanted those assumptions to be right.  
_ _A month into this, you’ve received more compliments and praise from James than you have anyone else in your entire life, and that includes your family. So when he asks you to close your eyes one day, you trust him enough to do so. When he kisses you, of course you respond. When the kisses turn to something more, you merely encourage him. It gets to the point where you initiate. By the third month you’ve known him, you have to leave early to get to your grandmother’s. You claim it’s to spend more time with her, but you really need the extra time to get all the leaves and twigs out of your hair from your woodland trysts, smooth out your clothes, and potentially wash up some depending on how intense things got.  
_ _James is good. Good and patient. He didn’t make fun of you the first time you laid together, instead murmured promises to you about how he’d make sure you remembered it fondly. He did keep that promise. You love your arrangement, especially given that he seems entirely devoted to make sure you get as much out of it as he does. You have to bite down hard on your tongue when you overhear some of the other girls talking about how their secret suitors don’t know what they’re doing or how they didn’t get any enjoyment out of it. They clearly had terrible taste in companions.  
_ _By the sixth month of meeting him out in the woods, you’re pretty sure you know more than some of the women in the village. You know there’s a line between pleasure and pain, and it’s exciting to straddle that line. You know it’s just as fun to submit as it is to take control. Lying back and thinking of your village or your country was simply bullshit a man fed his partner to get her to shut up about not getting anything out of the experience.  
_ _You have noticed something odd, though. About the second month into this, not too long after your first kiss, something was following you everytime you walked into the woods. It didn’t matter if you were cutting through them to get to another villager’s house or on your way to your grandmother’s; you could feel eyes upon you. Sometimes, when the moon was full and high in the sky at night, you felt as if you were being watched in your own home.  
_ _Four months in, and you noticed that the creature, whatever it was, seemed to be protecting you. Leroy, one of the older boys, attempted to make a move on you, one that you didn’t appreciate. The next morning, reports came in that Leroy had been attacked by a wolf-like thing, torn to shreds in the blink of an eye. Supposedly, it looked like a wolf in every way except for how big it was. It was massive, the size of at least five bears. You doubted it was that big.  
_ _It didn’t take long for you to figure out the thing following you was the same thing that killed Leroy. The thought should have bothered you, but it didn’t. The creature always disappeared when James showed up, and you figured it was because the presence of another human scared it away. You didn’t put two and two together until it was too late.  
_ *************************************************************  
“I thought that I was dead.” You’re reaching the end of your story. Steve has been listening silently the entire time, his thumb occasionally rubbing the back of your hand. “I honestly thought that he was going to kill me. He’d killed my grandma and multiple other people, so what was to stop him from doing that to me? And I couldn’t trust him because of him lying to me. I was lucky the woodsman came by when he did. I guess he heard me fighting for my life. He shot... Bucky. He shot him, and I ran out of there. The woodsman told me that he had killed Bucky, but I never saw a body.”  
You look to your lap. Steve takes his free hand and places a finger under your chin. He telegraphs his moves, so you have plenty of time to move if you want to. He gently lifts your chin.  
“Sweetheart.” He looks sad. “I’m sorry that happened. But I also don’t think you should be beating yourself up over it. You didn’t know better.” You open your mouth to argue with him that you should have, but he raises a hand. You frown but let him talk. “I’m not saying that to put you down. I hate to admit it, but a lot of men are not good people. I think the only reason I got the name Prince Charming is because I was nice when people expected me to be horrible.” He lets out a huff of laughter, although it’s not happy.  
“You’re not mad at me?” You finally venture.  
“Not for that, no. I’m upset you didn’t tell me until now, but I’m not mad at you.” He lets go of your hand. He runs both of his hands through his hair. “I’m disappointed with Bucky.” Steve pauses for a second. “Are you alright if I talk to him about this?”  
“I... I guess?” You’re not entirely sure how you feel about it. It feels strange for him to do that, but you also trust Steve. You didn’t think he would hurt you by defending Bucky. The blond places a gentle hand on your arm.  
“I want to hear it from him.” He explains. “I believe you, trust me. I need to hear it from him so I can know what the hell he was thinking.” You let out an amused noise.  
“I know it might be a lot, but... if I come back with evidence he’s changed, would you...?” Steve stops himself. “I’m not asking you to trust him right off, and I understand if you don’t ever trust him. But if he seems to be better, would you at least consider being friendly with him?”  
“Why?” You frown, trying to suppress a wave of hurt. “Why do you want me to do that?”  
“He saved my life.” Steve’s response is instantaneous. “In more ways than one. He was my only friend in a place full of people who couldn’t care less what happened to me. That’s not something I can easily turn my back on.” He shifts a little. “I’m not asking you to be buddies with him, and I’m not asking for you to forgive him. I’m just asking that you tolerate him when I’m around. I’ll try to not have you two in the same room. Could you do that? For me?”  
Could you? Did you want to? A million thoughts are running through your head. Slowly, hesitantly, you nod.  
“I guess.”  
Steve smiles at you. “That’s my girl.”


	2. Chapter 2

Steve doesn’t talk to Bucky that night. You assumed that he was going to talk to his friend, and you had gotten up to leave, when Steve stops you.

“Hey. Where are you going?” He stands up with you, confusion in his tone.

"I thought that you were going to talk to Bucky. So I was just leaving.” You try to sound confident, but your tone is questioning and voice faltering. Steve takes a gentle hold of your hand, sitting down on the couch and pulling you with him.

“I’ll talk with him later.” He smiles, and your heart flutters. “I haven’t seen you in the past several days. I’ve missed my girl.”

You try to hide your blush at the last part. He knows that name gets to you, but in the good way. It makes you a flustered, blushing mess. Lord knows what he’d do if he found out how much it really affected you. The two of you had been physical, but it hadn’t gone beyond very intense and handsy makeout sessions. And one heavy petting session. He had always been the one to stop, although each time the two of you went a little further.

The rest of the evening was spent on the couch watching TV. Steve has a hand on you almost the whole time, usually in the form of his arm slung over your shoulder. You notice he seems to be a little more hesitant with touching you, but you make it clear that you don’t mind. At one point, when he tries to pull away, you fake whine at him. That earns you a laugh and a kiss on your forehead.

You spend the next day out and about in the city. You originally planned to go alone, but it seemed like a bad idea. Not because you were worried for your safety but because you were worried for your mental health. Having the Big Bad Wolf back in your life was bound to do a number on you emotionally. You were initially going to invite Natasha, but then you realized that she might want to have a serious discussion. So you decided to go with someone a little less serious.

“Yeah, you know what. I haven’t had a day off in a while. I’m game.” Tony sounds delighted at the idea when you call him. “And don’t worry about paying for anything. Prince Charming has had less of a stick up his ass since he started dating you, so I owe you.”

Of course, knowing Tony, nothing could ever be that simple.

“The whole point of this was to get out and about.” You can’t sound too irritated, given that he’s already had his personal masseuse give you a massage and has a crew working on your nails. Tony shrugs.

“We will.” He seems entirely unconcerned. “Once this gets done. Because, and I mean no offense, but you need this. I feel the tension radiating off of you.” He pauses for a moment. You can tell by the glimmer in his eyes that he’s about to ask something that you don’t want to answer. “Given all the aforementioned tension, I’m assuming our darling Prince hasn’t fucked you yet?”

Thank God you aren’t drinking something because you would have just spit it out. He looks pleased with himself as you splutter.

“Thought so.” He clicks his tongue. “Well. If you want to look on the bright side, I think it means he’s nuts about you. Which can also be a downside.”

“It’s more me than him.” You finally admit. “It’s a hang-up from before all of this.”

“I know.” Tony nods. You give him a look. “What? Did you honestly think that you could keep a secret from me? Anyone so much as sneezes in this Tower, and I know who, where, and when.” He lowers his shades, his expression becoming solemn. “I didn’t snoop or go looking on purpose, before you ask. I coded parts of the Tower so that only people with our past could come in, and the algorithm picked up who you were. And I didn’t tell anyone. So you’re welcome.”

You snort, rolling your eyes. “I feel much better.” Though, in truth, you did feel better.

“I will say, it explains a lot. Like how you avoid a certain Huntsman.” Tony holds up a hand. “I’m just saying.”

“Yeah.” You huff. You hope that’s enough of an explanation; you’re not feeling like going into detail as to why you avoid Thor. Tony seems to sense that and steers the direction in an entirely different direction. When you two finally leave the Tower, he splurges on you, buying you a massive amount of things. You try to say no, but Tony refuses to listen. Part of you wonders if it’s because he heard the conversation with Steve from last night. You suspect it is, especially when he begins talking on the way back to the Tower.

“So. Rodger’s friend.” Tony makes a face as if a bitter taste is in his mouth. You snort and nod in agreement. “Look. I know you promised Steve to give the mongrel a chance, but listen.” Tony turns to you, and his expression is so earnest that it makes your heart hurt slightly. “Don’t let yourself get tricked again.”

“Trust me.” You scoff. “I won’t.” You study Tony for a second. “Did he...?”

Tony nods. “Yeah. Killed my dad in the middle of a battle. Just... scooped him up in his jaws and ate him.” He lets out a low noise. “Charming says that his friend was feral at the time.”

“But it’s not something you can forgive easily.” You finish for Tony when he pauses. Your friend nods, his face solemn. “Honestly, I’m not even sure I want to try. Even if it is for Steve. Between you and me, and all the other horror stories I’ve heard...” You trail off, unsure of yourself. Tony makes a noise that indicates he understands.

“It’s ultimately between you and Charming what you decide to do.” Tony looks back out to the road. “But I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him.”

“Yeah. I feel the same way.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

You’re laden down with bags when you get back to the compound. Your rooms weren’t in the main building, so you slip off to the auxiliary building. Once in your room, you drop your bags onto the floor. You stare at them. After a long moment, and an equally long sigh, you begin unpacking them and putting up the items. You’re not exactly ready to see Steve or Bucky. The items are mostly clothes, and you half-entertain the idea of trying things on again to give yourself more time. You ultimately decide against it. You’re about half-way through all of it when you hear a knock at your door.  
You frown and pad cautiously over to the door. Steve normally would text you to see if you wanted company, but there have been a couple times where he didn’t. You hesitantly open the door just a little bit. Bucky is standing in the hallway. To his credit, he isn’t right by the door; he’s by the far wall. He smiles at you, and you want to melt. Instead, you glare at him.

“We need to talk.” He speaks before you can say anything. “I’d rather talk in there, but out here works just fine too.”

After a moment, you open the door wide enough to let him in. He slips inside, but you don’t close it. Bucky gives you a curious look.

“I don’t trust you enough to have the door closed.” You respond curtly, crossing your arms over your chest. An expression you can’t read, maybe hurt, flashes briefly across his face. It’s gone as soon as it appeared. He opens his mouth to speak but pauses, clearly getting distracted.

“Why does it smell like a whore house in here?” He looks at you with a confused expression.

“I went out shopping.” You adjust your arms, not liking how they were before. “It’s probably something that they used in the store or when making the clothes.” 

He nods. “It smells chemically.” Bucky takes a deep breath. “Okay. Shit between us isn’t exactly pleasant. And I know Stevie asked you to give me a chance.” He stops again. “I’m not trying to be inappropriate when I ask this, but have you fucked? I can’t smell him on you unless the two of you are cuddling. And it’s re-”

You splutter but eventually finds your words, interrupting him.“The fuck?” You look at him as if he’s grown an extra head. “You know what, if you’re just going to be an intrusive dick, you can just go ahead and leave! Seriously! What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“I’m going to take that as a ‘no’.” He holds up his hands before you can do anything. “I’m not! I’m not trying to be a dick! I just need to know if I’m going to have to field questions!”

“Field questions?” You repeat, disbelief and confusion evident in your tone. He nods.

“Yeah. I know Steve, and I know that he’s going to want to make a move fairly soon, especially since I’m around.” Bucky rolls his eyes. “He won’t admit it, but he’s a territorial little bastard, so it’s going to get to him that we’ve... you know.” He clears his throat while you level him with your best glare. “But I’m also his best friend, so when vanilla shit doesn’t cut it for you, he’s going to eventually come to me with questions.” He shoves his hands into his pockets.

“So what? You came to tell me that Steve’s going to ask what I liked when we fucked?” Your outrage makes you blunt. Bucky lets out a huff of laughter, which only serves to further enrage you. “What the fuck are you laughing at!”

“That’s not why I came to talk to you.” He clarifies.

“Then why are you here?” One of your hands goes to your hips while the other falls limply at your side. “What do you want?”

Bucky looks at you for a long moment. “I know that you’re only planning on being civil to me because of Steve.” He begins. “And I know that I fucked you over and treated you like shit. I’m not going to deny that. But I have... missed you.”

“So?” You arch an eyebrow. “What do you want from me? Because the sooner I give whatever it is to you, the sooner you’ll leave. Right?”

Bucky pinches the bridge of his nose. A noise similar to a growl leaves his throat, and fuck. You forgot how much it affected you when he did that. You hope he doesn’t notice a shift in your scent, the slightest hint of arousal. When his nostrils flare, you know he has.

“You have no idea what you do to me.” Bucky’s voice is deeper and more ragged, as if he’s trying to control himself. He takes a deep breath. You think it’s supposed to be calming, but you know it has the opposite reaction. His eyes get dark. You have to fight to keep your breathing even. “Look. Yeah, I fucked you over. I’ll admit that. But you going to Steve and acting like none of the shit we did was your idea? You can’t do that.”

“I never said it was!” You let out an irritated noise that’s close to a growl. “If he thinks that I did, then by all means, send him down here, and I’ll clear the record!” You step towards Bucky. “But you can’t go around and act like ‘fucked me over’ covers all the shit that you did to me!”

“You were a willing participant.” He snarled, something dark gleaming in his eyes. You spread your arms out wide.

“Until you decided to fucking eat me!” You challenge. The two of you hold each other’s gaze for a long moment. You aren’t sure which of you snaps first, but when it does, it feels like a dam breaking. He’s got you pushed up against the wall in no time, mouth devouring yours. Your legs go to wrap around his waist. One of his forearms goes to the wall to brace himself while the other goes to your ass to keep you from falling. One of your hands fists his shirt while the other digs into his hair, yanking at the silky strands. He pulls away with a snarl.

“Shit. That fucking hurts.” He growls.

“Good. I fucking hope it does.” You snarl in return as you pull him down into a bruising kiss. He bites down on your lower lip hard and swallows your answering whimper. You can taste blood for a second. A noise suddenly sounds, a buzzing. The two of you stop. Your phone screen is lit up, and oh God.

Of course it’s Steve.

Bucky moves away from the wall and sets you down. It’s gentle, a surprising contrast to the way he was manhandling you not seconds before that. You make your way over to your phone and answer it.

“Hey, Steve.” You’re surprised how cool and even your voice sounds. Steve lets out a low noise.

“I thought you might not answer for a second.” He genuinely sounds worried at the thought. You shake your head, a small smile on your face.

“You know I wouldn’t miss it unless something important was going on.” Your hand goes to your now messy hair, playing with a strand of it. “So what’s up?”

“I was wondering if you’re okay with me coming by.” Steve sounds happy. “I was thinking I could get us Chinese, and we could watch a movie.”

You can’t help your grin. “Chinese sounds good. When do you think you’ll be by?”

“In fifteen minutes or so.” He counters. “I want to talk to Buck before I see you.”

“Well. I’ll be waiting.” You tell him. “I love you.”

He lets out a soft laugh. “I love you too.”

The call disconnects. It’s just you and Bucky now. You turn to face him. He’s gone over to the far wall and is leaning against it. You don’t look at him for a moment.

“This can’t-” You begin.

“I know.” Bucky groans. “I know. Fuck.”

“Yeah.” You look at the wall, eyes unfocused. “You can say that again.”

A lot of unsaid things linger in the air between the two of you. It’s clear neither of you know how to approach the topic at hand. Eventually, you speak.

“Steve wants to talk to you.” Your voice sounds off. Bucky nods.

“I know. I heard.” He lets out a frustrated noise. Your heart is beating softly in your chest.

“Okay.” You take a deep breath. “Here’s what we’ll do. We can be civil to each other and everything. We just can’t be in the same room alone.”

Bucky huffs. “I don’t want to.” He grumbles.

“Yes, well. I don’t want to cheat on Steve!” You counter. “And we know that’s how it’ll go.”

You’re met with silence. Eventually, Bucky pushes himself away from the wall.

“I’m going to go talk to Steve.” His tone makes it clear he’s made up his mind. You’re not sure on what, though. He stalks out of your room, slamming the door shut behind him. You let out a long breath you didn’t know you’d been holding. After a moment, you go to the mirror and try to make yourself presentable. Once you were presentable, you could make your room presentable as well. You’ve gotten all of your bags unpacked and out of the floor when Steve knocks. You practically skip over to it.

Steve grins at you when you answer, holding up a bag of Chinese food as promised. Your stomach rumbles, and he laughs.

“Hungry?” He teases, kissing the top of your head as he slips past you. You nod.

“Starving.” You respond. He places the bag on the kitchen table as you go over to the cabinet and take down several plates. You’ve just gotten them down when Steve comes up behind you. He places his chin in the crook of your neck and wraps his arms around you. You giggle, relaxing into his hold. 

“I missed you.” He murmurs before placing a kiss on the skin of your neck. You hide your blush by burying your head into your other shoulder.

“I missed you too.” You can’t help the sharp inhale when he gently sucks the delicate skin into his mouth and between his teeth. You push your hips back to meet his, and he lets out an appreciative noise. “As much as I’d love to do this, I really am starving.”

Steve pulls away but not before placing a kiss over the mark he just created. “I got us a thing of rice to share.” He tells you as he heads over to the table. You pick up the plates from where you’d put them on the counter. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not in the slightest.”

**Author's Note:**

> Come talk to me [on my tumblr](https://redandwhiteroses.tumblr.com/)


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